Once we have truly submitted to the Word of God, we’ll want to work out that commitment every day. And we mentioned that this will require us taking four steps over and over again. Today’s excerpt from The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart is found on page 161:
“[First]: Ask questions of your text, about what it reveals about God. For example, Jesus’ comment about going and being a neighbor (‘Go and do likewise’) tells us some things about Him. He’s a teacher. He has real authority. He commands and expects people to obey. He defines the meaning of neighbor. He speaks to us about what words and ideas mean, about truth as God knows it. And so forth. Jesus’ words about being a neighbor tell us much more about Him than about us, and we’ll be more inclined to accept what He says about us when we’re clear in our minds about Him.
“Next, in the light of what you are learning about God, seek what the text teaches about you and the world you live in. Jesus’ having to teach us about being neighbors, for example, suggests that this doesn’t come naturally to us. We’re more like those men who walked past the wounded man, than the Samaritan who cared for him in a sacrificial manner. In what specific ways am I like those men? And how do I need to change so that I may be more like that Samaritan?
“[Then], seek the path God would have you follow from this point, the next steps indicated in the text for you. What can you do today to be more a neighbor like that Samaritan, like Jesus Himself? In the light of what you are learning about God and yourself, summarize the primary teaching of the text and what it suggests about how to be a neighbor. Pray your summary back to God, with thanksgiving. [Finally], take that ‘Go and do likewise’ and reduce it to immediate steps for your life for that day, so that you can become a better neighbor to the people around you. If you’ll take these next steps in faith, the Spirit of God will meet you as you are going and empower you to be more the person God wants you to be.”
For reflection or discussion
1. In which of these areas of the study of Scripture do you need to improve? How can you do that?
2. What “next steps” is the Lord leading you to take as a neighbor to others today?
Growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus comes in small steps, taken faithfully every day in obedience to the Word of God. The more we are faithful in the small steps, the more the Lord will guide us into larger ones, with the promise that He will be with us there even as He is in every small step. Be faithful in the small, and the Lord will entrust you with greater opportunities to serve Him. Share today’s podcase with a friend, then get together and talk about what you are learning. Your copy of The Joy and Rejoicing of My Heart is waiting for you at The Ailbe Bookstore, either in book form or a free PDF download.
T. M. Moore
